The Wedding

Tuesday, September 11, 2012


No recipe as I'm away at a three day intensive cheese education class learning more about the chemistry and biology of cheese. Instead I offer you the last wedding post. Seriously. Swear to god.

It's just a few of the thousand-plus photos, but it'll give you a good idea of what went down.

I encourage you to share these with a friend who doesn't believe in gay marriage. These pictures demonstrate that, obviously, Husband and I are a threat to their personal morals and the degradation of society as a whole. We must be stopped before we have brunch or something, which will inevitably - somehow - demean straight marriage and bring about some stylishly planned apocalypse. (I'm fuzzy on the argument. Send them here next for my rebuttal.)

At the end of the post is a copy of the reading from the ceremony, "The Day the Saucers Came," by Neil Gaiman. Wonky, odd, delightful, and involving zombies.

Our recessional music was Trip the Light, by Alicia Lemke. Upbeat and it felt very right. The perfect song to spend the first few minutes married together to.



Our first dance was, "Marry Me," by Train. The mother-son dance song was classically, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," by The Beatles. The group dance being some classic Aerosmith ballads ("I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," obviously). The last dance was, "Fly Me to the Moon," preformed by the dapper Olivia Ong.



I doubt I need to point it out but this post will be image heavy. Enjoy.

Garrett out.


-Getting ready.-

-My cufflinks. Made from old typewriter keys. For Brian and Garrett.-

-Another plus of a gay wedding is we can get ready together.-

-My boutonniere; highlighted with stellata pods, rosemary, and sage.-

-Husband putting on his military dress uniform.-

-And looking mighty fine.-

-Just married and escaping the crowd for a moment so we can revel.-

-Said reveling.-

-There was plenty of good wine to drink. (Wine and chocolate ceremony.)-

-As well as lots of amazing food, which could be its own post. Many fellow bloggers contributed their skills in pitching in some awesome dishes as their gifts.-

-The food highlight was the most awesome taco truck catering ever.-

-Still, it wouldn't be a proper wedding without a cheese plate.-

-Sixty-five jars of motherfucking jam. Totally worth it.-

-First dance.-

The Day the Saucers Came

That Day, the saucers landed. Hundreds of them, golden,
Silent, coming down from the sky like great snowflakes,
And the people of Earth stood and
stared as they descended,
Waiting, dry-mouthed, to find out what waited inside for us
And none of us knowing if we would be here tomorrow
But you didn’t notice because
That day, the day the saucers came, by some some coincidence,
Was the day that the graves gave up their dead
And the zombies pushed up through soft earth
or erupted, shambling and dull-eyed, unstoppable,
Came towards us, the living, and we screamed and ran,
But you did not notice this because
On the saucer day, which was zombie day, it was
Ragnarok also, and the television screens showed us
A ship built of dead-men’s nails, a serpent, a wolf,
All bigger than the mind could hold,
and the cameraman could
Not get far enough away, and then the Gods came out
But you did not see them coming because
On the saucer-zombie-battling-gods
day the floodgates broke
And each of us was engulfed by genies and sprites
Offering us wishes and wonders and eternities
And charm and cleverness and true
brave hearts and pots of gold
While giants feefofummed across
the land and killer bees,
But you had no idea of any of this because
That day, the saucer day, the zombie day
The Ragnarok and fairies day,
the day the great winds came
And snows and the cities turned to crystal, the day
All plants died, plastics dissolved, the day the
Computers turned, the screens telling
us we would obey, the day
Angels, drunk and muddled, stumbled from the bars,
And all the bells of London were sounded, the day
Animals spoke to us in Assyrian, the Yeti day,
The fluttering capes and arrival of
the Time Machine day,
You didn’t notice any of this because
you were sitting in your room, not doing anything
not even reading, not really, just
looking at your telephone,
wondering if I was going to call.


79 comments:

  1. Words cannot express the happiness that I have for you both that you have found each other and the joy that you share. And my deepest wish for you both is that you will keep that joy and love forever and that it only grow. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart.

    <3 The Beatles. :)

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  2. I am weepy. This is just lovely! Many many congratulations

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  3. Wow, just looking at all of that happiness and love made me rather teary! Beautiful, Garrett. Congrats, and I wish you and your hubby and long and happy life together!

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  4. And your wedding food WILL be featured in a post... in 2 weeks... still wishing I had some of those tamales in my fridge right now.

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  5. Congratulations to the both of you! That picture of him lifting you up during the first dance...I could look at it all day. So freaking cute.

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  6. Great photos from a wonderful affair!!! It was by far the happiest wedding I've attended. I've never seen a more joyful couple! Also, best zombie wedding ever. (Oh wait... only zombie wedding ever.) :)

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  7. Your photos are amazing, I'm glad you had such a beautiful day! You both were stunning and glowing with happiness! Best wishes to the both of you for a long and treasured marriage.

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  8. I LOVE weddings! Thank-you for sharing!

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  9. Wonderful Post. Looks like a beautiful wedding. Congrats.

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  10. What a beautiful day! Congratulations to you and yours, and I hope you have a long, wonderful marriage.

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  11. *tears* Thank you for sharing your day! What a beautiful wedding.

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  12. CONGRATS :)

    Oh, Garrett! I'm so glad you shared these! They are absolutely breath-taking. And your outfit? Linen suit + white shirt? Stunning. Looks so good on you! And hubby looks damn fine in a military uniform (as they all do!) (Mine is a military guy, too :)

    Would it be really cheesy if I pinned your boutonniere and told my florist to copy it?

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  13. happy happy happy

    Congratulations again. And really, as big of a smile as I have on my face after your wedding posts, I won't mind if you break the promise and talk about it more.

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  14. What a spectacular day! (and I LOVE the wine & chocolate ceremony!) What a beautiful, wonderful couple... I wish you two a spectacular life together. Mazel Tov!

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  15. Ah! I work for a small jam company and we do wedding favor jams, just like you! Delicious :) I'm so happy for you and your husband: you really are the perfect couple.... No matter what some may say, I for one think that you two were made for each other <3

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  16. Beautiful post! Congratulations.

    Also...if I ever manage to find someone to marry I'm totally stealing your taco truck catering idea. Amazing.

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  17. Congratulations you two. Lovely photos and those rings... Wishes for a long and happy life together.

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  18. Gorgeous and worth the wait! I think the dancing picture demands a follow-up video of the shenanigans that ensued. The taco truck was a fantastic idea.

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    Replies
    1. No video, sadly. But TONS of pictures. This is just a tiny taste. =)

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  19. I love these pictures I hope you two are very happy together Happy Marriage Happy Life and Good luck to you both

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  20. Beautiful wedding. Artfully composed to include a variety of miracles. The rings are lovely! And I loved the poetry and music. Thanks for sharing, and may you both experience joy in one another for all your days.

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  21. Beautiful wedding, Wishing both of you a long and happy married life.

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  22. I've been reading your blog for a few years but haven't ever commented--or at least I don't think I have. Anyway, I love your blog and I wanted to thank you for sharing your wedding photos. They were lovely and I am very happy for you and your husband. Congratulations!

    Amy

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    1. Glad to hear from you for the first time, Amy. Thank you!

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  23. The first dance picture, just breaks my heart - what a sweet, happy moment. Congratulations to you both.

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  24. Garret, you don't know me but I stalk your blog (I have commented a couple times in the past). I just have to say that I am so, so happy for you and your spouse! I have proudly served in the Army for 10 years but something has always bothered me and that was "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". I hated that some of the people I trusted, cared for, and served with had to "hide" who they were so they wouldn't be discharged from serving the country they love. I have tears falling down my face knowing that your spouse can serve proudly and openly. I am happy that you, as a spouse, can experience the Army family. Yes, the Army family has it faults and yes, we have a long way to still go, but the Army family will always be there and is a bond that will never be broken.

    From one Army soldier to one Army spouse: Welcome to the Family!

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  25. This looks like it was an amazing wedding, and an amazing day all around. I am so happy for you both.

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  26. so happy for y'all---tremendously beautiful wedding!

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  27. So happy for you guys! Love your musical choices and LOVE the poem/reading. Still waiting for a close-up pic of your shoes...

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  28. Congratulations, and heartfelt wishes for a beautiful and sweet life together. Gorgeous photos and yes, the poem made me cry. :) Felicidades! / Phoenix Az

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  29. Congratulations and best wishes for your married life together. these photos and this whole post are beautiful! and of course the food looks awesome! I am thinking of doing homemade jam as favours for my wedding, or different scented sugars...is it really horrendous and stressful to do?? :)

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  30. Listening to trip the light, reading the day the saucers came, I now have goosebumps. It looks like a truly wonderful ceremony. You both looked very dapper :) Congratulations x

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  31. Gorgeous pictures!!! Ya'll look great!

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  32. Lovely, and such beautiful photos. I'm so happy for the both of you.

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  33. Gorgeous pictures & celebration!

    May you both be as happy and in love as you were in the pictures when you celebrate your 50th year together.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

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  34. How could someone look at the pure love and happiness between the two of you and find hatred in their hearts? Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing!

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  35. My wish for you is this...to hear Train's Marry Me in 50 years and still be looking into your Beloved's beautiful eyes, singing along to the words and meaning every one of them.

    My niece made a photo show with Marry Me for my parent's 50th anniversary this summer. I hope some young relative will do the same for you too.

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  36. Randomly found you when Neil Gaiman retweeted your post and said he was "So very proud" (I mean, how freakin cool is that?!?!), and so glad to have had the chance to see these gorgeous pictures...of foooood...just kidding! No, really, gorgeous pictures of you and your beautiful, **gay military husband** (love saying that) joining together before all of your friends and family - just as it SHOULD BE. Love the intro to your piece, love the pictures, love the boutanniere and the food and the obvious LOVE that is shown here. And LOVE the poem by Neil!! Please count me as a new follower of your amazing blog :) And thank you for helping me start my day off on a joyous foot!

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    1. Hey Holly,
      Wow, I just wrote Gaiman. What a surprise to be tweeted by him! I'm glad overjoyed you found the blog the way you did and am so glad to share my wedding with you. =D

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  37. Huge congratulations to you both!

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  38. I feel a bit like a wedding crasher, but a friend told me about this gorgeous post and I'm a sucker for a wedding (and cry at almost all of them) and just love LOVE so... I wanted to tell you congratulations. And yes, I cried, looking at your pictures, even though you're a stranger, because how can you not cry when you see two people in love and realize the impossibility of two people finding each other in this vast, vast world. Again, congratulations.

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    1. There are no crashers or strangers here, Lollipop! So happy to be able to share the joy with you. =D

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  39. I found your blog because Neil Gaiman RT-ed it and I just wanted to congratulate you and your husband. Where I'm from, the ministry just decided to release guidelines on how to detect "symptoms" of being gay in your children so parents can take corrective measures. Seeing this, though, is incredibly encouraging, and I'm now sharing it on every site I can think of. I wish you both the very best and thank you so much for sharing.

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    1. Thank you, Roshini. It's people like you that will make the world a better, more inclusive and welcoming place for not just gay people but ALL people.
      lots of love,
      Garrett & Brian

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  40. Gorgeous, gorgeous. Jam for everyone!

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  41. This moved me so much and I don't even like weddings! I send you love and best wishes for your future life together, may you always be happy.

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  42. Got here via Neil Gaiman's Twitter feed. Congratulations, gorgeous humans! And oh my, the rest of this site looks delicious. I might have to play with it in my kitchen. :)

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    1. From one human to another, thank you!
      I hope you enjoy the recipes you and your wife stumble over here.

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  43. Congratulations....I think I have something in my eye.

    Both of you, be loving, be happy and be gentle. May you enjoy peace in peace time, and hold hands bravely in bad times.

    Best use of Neil Gaiman, ever.

    Love from a stranger,

    Panther

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    1. Now if we ever have kids we have to work something from "Coraline" into their christening. ;)

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  44. This may well be the most romantic thing I have read in ages. And now I desperately want some typewriter key cuff links. That means I also need a shirt with which to actually wear cuff links, but I am more than willing. This post also makes me want chocolate (vegan, please) and wine. And to dance with someone I love. Excuse me while I go cry, and look at the photos again, and offer up a blessing that you will always be as happy as you are now!

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    1. Wallace, we got the cufflinks done custom on Etsy. (My apologies, but I can no longer recall who, but a quick search should pull it up.) Very affordable. The artist also does charms, necklaces, and earings with old typrewriter keys as well.

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  45. Aw, so beautiful!

    Are you at the Cal Poly cheese course?

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    1. Actually, I was at a three day intensive cheese clas at The Cheese School of San Francisco. I highly recommend it. =)

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  46. Here is the wedding script for anyone who might be curious.

    WelcomeWelcome family, friends, and loved ones. We’ve been brought together today by the love that Brian and Garrett have for one another, as well as the love that each of you have given them throughout their lives. As family and friends, you have shown them the blessings that come through loving one another. Brian and Garrett have asked all of you to be with them today because each of you has given something of yourself to their lives. On their behalf, they thank you for sharing with them such a special day. By your presence, you celebrate with them the love they have found in one another and you support their decision to commit themselves to a lifelong relationship. We will begin with a reading from Jill Ouellette.

    Reading: Jill reads the Neil Gaiman piece

    Definition of MarriageA marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging adventure of human relationships. This ceremony is not magic, it will not create a relationship that does not already exist and has not already been acknowledged in all the commitments you have made to each other, both large and small. It is a symbol of how far you have come together and a symbol of the promise that you will make to each other, to continue to live your lives together and to love each other wholly.

    Declaration of Intent
    Do you, Brian, take Garrett to be your husband and your partner in crime? Do you promise to love and trust him, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death or zombies do you part?

    -I do

    Do you, Garrett, take Brian to be your husband and your partner in crime? Do you promise to love and trust him, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death or zombies do you part?

    -I do

    And remember: Should your partner zombify, you will remove the head and destroy the brain. Out of love.

    Ritual: Bittersweet Love
    There will come in your life days of great sweetness, and days of bitter sorrow. There will be celebrations, and there will be tears. There will be triumphs, and there will be tragedies. Life holds indescribable happiness in store for you both and unavoidable pain, as well. And so to symbolize your acceptance of this reality, today you will share the bitter and the sweet, just as you will share them in the years to come.

    Take and drink this bitter red wine.
    Taste in it the dark days which will rock your marriage and test its strength. It represents disappointment, illness, and grief. Know that these hard times will come, and with them, the opportunity to deepen your bond as partners.

    Now, take and eat this sweet chocolate.
    Taste in it the sweetness and light that will fill your marriage with joy. Savor the taste of this chocolate, just as you will savor every happiness that your beloved brings you. It represents shared laughter, your child’s first steps, your golden anniversary. Delight in it, as you will delight in as partners.

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    1. Vows
      Garrett & Brian, will you now please share with each other the vows you have written. We will decide who will speak their vows first via Ancient Tradition...

      *Rock, paper, scissors--loser gets to pick who goes first*

      Couple Says Vows

      Ring Exchange
      For thousands of years, lovers have exchanged rings as a token of their vows. Let these rings be a sign that love has a past, a present, and a future, through you and within you. The promises which you have spoken to each other today are forever in your minds and hearts, but words are fleeting and so those who marry wear rings as visible, tangible symbols of their love and commitment. These rings announce to the world that you have recognized in each other your soul’s mate. That you have entwined together to become one and that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

      Brian, take Garrett’s ring, place it on his finger and repeat after me:

      I give you this ring as a reminder that I will always love you.

      Garrett, take Brian’s ring, place it on his finger and repeat after me:

      I give you this ring as a reminder that I will always love you.

      Pronouncement/Closing
      Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be a shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years; may happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth.
      No one but you can declare yourselves married. You have begun it here today in speaking your vows before your family and friends and you will do it again in the days and years to come, standing by each other, sharing all the sweet and the bitter of life. Each tender act, each loving word, will be the declaration of what was made here today.

      By the power of your love and commitment, and by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you partners for life! You may now mack the groom!

      *Kiss!*

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  47. Wow, I love that ceremony!! So so charming and fun and heartfelt. Lovely. Congratulations and best wishes for a LONG happy marriage.

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  48. LOVE the pic of you two escaping right after the ceremony! Congratulations.

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  49. Sooo sweet! Beautiful pictures!!! Congratulations!

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  50. Oh my goodness. Everything about this makes me happy. Love to you and your husband- a long lifetime of it. Thank you for making me smile so big today.

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  51. Ahh. So much delight, wonderment, and goodness. Great photos, of the handsome grooms and the lovely food! Here via Genie / Inadvertent Gardener.

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  52. Mazel Tov, Garrett to you and Brian!Wonderful post, photos.Thanks for sharing this with others who follow your blog. Much happiness to you both.

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  53. Congratulations Garrett and Brian! Beautiful photos of a wonderful celebration. I love weddings! [And the suit is perfect ;)]. Here's to a lifetime of wedded bliss!

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  54. Just when you think 'Tuesdays with Garrett' couldn't possibly get any better...
    Ditto to everything already said; and I just gotta share how totally stunned I am at the wondrous perfect balance in your ceremony. Yup, stunned.
    x o x o

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  55. So beautiful.... thank you for sharing this journey with us, your readers and allowing us to share in your joy. xoxo

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  56. Thank you for sharing this with us :)
    And congratulations once again!

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  57. Wow - after reading the wedding script I am in tears. Just beautiful - I may steal (small) pieces of this as my husband and I renew vows (after 15 years). Love the pics - you are BOTH just too handsome!! All that joy - just jumps out from the photos. Thanks so much for sharing this journey with us. Blessings and love to you both - CONGRATS!!

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  58. Beautiful photos! This reminded me when I was looking for wedding venues in Cumbria. Amazing place!

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Hey, you're leaving a comment! That's pretty darn cool, so thanks. If you have any questions or have found an error on the site or with a recipe, please e-mail me and I will reply as soon as possible.
~Garrett

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